Clemson Students Commemorate Dr. King

JANUARY 30--Along with questionable racially-themed college parties in Texas and Connecticut, students at Clemson University in South Carolina dressed in blackface for a party they dubbed 'Living the Dream' and which came a day before the Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday.

Photos from the off-campus bash (which can be found here) were posted on Facebook.com and then yanked when fellow students protested.

Attendees at the January 14 party drank from 40-ounce bottles of malt liquor, which were duct-taped to their hands. Additionally, some female partygoers stuffed their pants to make their backsides look larger, while other students wore gold teeth, or grills.

In an e-mail sent today to students, Clemson President James Barker said that he was "appalled, angered, and disappointed" upon learning of the party, which he said "appeared to mock and disparage African-Americans." He added that a school investigation has been launched to determine whether university policies were violated. (4 pages)